Background and career
Angélica María Hartman Ortiz (born September 27, 1944) is a Mexican singer and actress. Referred to as "La Novia de México" ("Mexico's Sweetheart"), she began her career as a child actress in films of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, such as Pecado (1951), Una mujer decente (1951), and Mi esposa y la otra (1952). During the 1960s, she rose to prominence as a teen idol through her roles in films and telenovelas, concurrently launching a successful music career. Her recordings of compositions by Armando Manzanero established her as a popular singer of rock and roll and pop ballads, with hit songs including the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks top 40-singles "El hombre de mi vida", "Reina y cenicienta", "Prohibido", and "El taconazo". María has received numerous accolades for her contributions to music, film, and television, including a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, three Premios TVyNovelas, two Ariel Awards (including the Golden Ariel), and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Born in 1944 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Angélica María is the daughter of American entrepreneur Arnold Hartman and theater producer Angélica de Jesús Ortiz Sandoval. Following her parents' divorce when she was five years old, María moved to Mexico City with her mother.
Her mother's sister, Yolanda Ortiz, introduced little Angélica to the Mexican Cinema when Gregorio Wallerstein, a movie producer, was looking for a boy for his next movie. Angélica told the producer, "Give me a haircut and I'm that boy". Charmed by the girl, he let her into his audition. She got the role in the movie Pecado ("Sin"). Soon afterwards, she worked on Una Mujer Decente ("A Decent Woman"), La Hija de la Otra ("The Daughter of the Mistress"), Los Amantes ("The Lovers"), Fierecilla (Little Beast), and Sígueme, Corazón ("Follow Me, Sweetheart"). She obtained the Ariel award for her role in Mi Esposa y la Otra ("My Wife and the Mistress") when she was 6. She also performed in her first fotonovela Rayito del Sol ("Little Ray of Sunshine"). She sang in her two next movies, 2 Caras Tiene el Destino ("Destiny Has Two Faces") and Los Gavilanes (The Hawks) with superstar Pedro Infante, who told her she would be a great actress, because she spoke with her eyes, as he did. In 1955, Rita Macedo offered her a role in the play La mala semilla (The Bad Seed), which would be the first of a series of plays she was involved with while she filmed.
When she was 16 she joined the telenovela industry with the production Cartas de amor (Love Letters). The following year, she acted in musicals as well as in "lucha libre" films such as El Señor Tormenta (Lord Storm) and Muerte en el ring (Death in the Ring). At that time she was beginning to be referred to as La novia de la juventud (Youth's girlfriend) and after her first musical, a journalist, Octavio de Alba, named her La Novia de México (Mexico's girlfriend or Mexico's sweetheart), which is the title she would keep thereafter. In 1965, she filmed "Fray Torero" (Friar Bullfighter) in Spain and came back to Mexico to work in two movies, and to record her sixth album. Then, she acted in such successful films as 5 de chocolate y 1 de fresa (Five of chocolate and one of strawberry) and obtained the starring role in the 1968 film version of Corazón salvaje. Following her musical appearances, she asked for her mother's assistance (who was also her manager) and together with Armando Manzanero, then a new songwriter, she sang 1962's Eddy Eddy which would eventually become one of her greatest musical successes. Manzanero took Angélica to see a producer, and in the same year she released her first album on the Musart record label. The album was a success, so she began touring and making movies with teen idols such as César Costa and actor/singer Enrique Guzmán whom she would date later. After joining RCA, she would later become one of the biggest stars in Latin America. With Chucho Ferrer in the roles of musical director and arranger, Angélica María covered the Barbara Ruskin song, "Gentlemen Please" which was released on RCA as "Los años locos". In 1971, she acted in Ernesto Alonso's telenovela Muchacha italiana viene a casarse ("Italian girl comes to get married") which opened the Spanish television market in the United States, and was a success in Central America and South America. She also filmed one of her biggest telenovelas Ana del aire ("Ana of the air", playing a flight attendant role). In 1973 she met the aspiring singer Juan Gabriel who would become one of the biggest selling artists in the world. Together, they would record ballads performed by mariachi bands. The single Tú sigues siendo el mismo ("You are still the same one") sold one million copies in the United States alone, and has since then been performed by dozens of other singers. She recorded three more albums in 1974. In 1977, she made the telenovela version of her film Corazón salvaje, released two albums, and performed in the play Papacito Piernas Largas ("Daddy Long-legs"), a play that would spun off an album, and broke the record of more than 1000 performances sold out in the next 3 years.
In 1980, she recorded for the first time in a U. K. studio, making an album of ballads and a single record with two pop songs in English, seeking some kind of crossover. During these years, she signed with Marsal Productions, then Caytronics, Melody, RCA again, and finally CBS, which was her last contract with a foreign record company. Since then, she established her own recording company with which she has produced 7 albums. In 1986, she starred in Herencia Maldita ("Cursed inheritance") singing the theme-song and releasing an album called "El Hombre de Mi Vida". She later acted with her daughter in a production by Angélica Ortíz titled Una Estrella. In 1988 she divorced Vale and starred in a TV show titled Tres generaciones ("Three generations") with Carmen Montejo and Sasha Sokol. In 1990 she acted in the play Mamá ama el rock ("Mom loves rock") with her daughter and Ricky Martin. In 1994, she acted in Luis de Llano's Agujetas de color de rosa which would be such a great success that it was extended to 600 episodes. In 1995 she acted in telenovela, La Antorcha Encendida, sharing credits with Leticia Calderon, Juan Ferrara, Ofelia Guilmáin etc. and in 1996 she was offered a leading role in telenovela Bendita Mentira. In 1999 she made a special guest appearance as a mother of Thalia in telenovela Rosalinda, promoting her new album of boleros. The same year Angélica impressed the audience in the theater play La mama nos quita los novios, sharing credits with Julio Alemán. In 2003 she joined the cast of Sea of dreams sharing credits with Sonia Braga. In 2004 she took part in Amar otra vez, produced by Lucero Suárez, which began broadcasting in January in the U.S. and in México in May 2004.
María participated in Telemundo's telenovelas, appearing in Aurora (2011), Mi corazón insiste en Lola Volcán (2011), and La casa de al lado (2011–2012). She later played the role of Amalia Mendoza in Televisa's telenovela Qué bonito amor (2012–2013). María served a celebrity judge in the Spanish-language version of reality singing competition El Factor X (2013–2014) on MundoFox. She has also appeared on the American television series Graves (2016) and The Lincoln Lawyer (2023). María voiced the character of Buela Ramirez in the Disney animated television series Primos (2024–2025). In July 2026, she was announced to guest star as Ornela Donatti in Televisa's Cruzando destinos: Marruecos en el corazón, returning to telenovelas after a 14-year absence.
